Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein need not resign after receiving a fine for violating Covid-19 protocols.
Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur today, Ismail Sabri said if everyone had to resign for receiving such fines, then no one will be available for work.
"Not a crime. Nothing to do with crime. The Health Ministry has issued a compound.
"What's important is that the government does not play favourites. Whoever breaches Covid-19 protocols will be compounded," he said.
Yesterday, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced that he had ordered his ministry to issue fines to Hishammuddin, incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad and MIC president S Vigneswaran.
This was after the trio was depicted in a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at a Johor MIC event.
Under current rules, Malaysians have to practice physical distancing of one metre.
Under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1998, those flouting rules imposed by the Health Ministry to prevent the spread of infectious diseases can be fined RM1,000.
Hishammuddin accepted the decision and stressed that he was a guest, pinning the blame on the event organisers for failing to control the crowd.
Earlier, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh called for Hishammuddin’s resignation for breaching the standard operating procedures at the MIC event.
Yeoh also felt that the fine that Khairy instructed his ministry to issue against the offending leaders who attended the same event is insufficient as a punishment for a Covid-19 breach by a senior figure in government. - Mkini
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